Manifolding machine



Feb. 3, 1931. J. Q. SHERMAN ET AL 1,790,680

MANIFOLDING' MACHINE I Filed Oct. 23, 1926 2 Sheets-Shet 1 A TTORNEYS.

1931- J. Q. SHERMAN ET AL 3 3 MANIFOLDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 23, 1926 2Sheets-Sheet 2 R5 33 JMQW A TTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 3, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN Q. SHERMAN ANDALBERT METZNEB, F DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO THE STANDARD REGISTER COMPANY MANIFOLDING MACHINEApplication filed October 28, 1928. Serial No. 143,724.

Our invention relates to the provision in manifolding machines for theretention of a record in the shape of individually severed form slipswhich are manifold copies of the form slips issued from the machine.

While there are other types of manifolding machines, the particular typewhich we have illustrated is one in which printed form strips are fedover a writing table Where notations are made thereon, either by hand orby a typing machine or stamp, the notations on the upper strip beingtransferred through to the lower ones collated therewith so as toproduce as many copies as desired. The lowermost copy is the one whichis normally retained as a record within the machine while the remainingcopies are issued.

It is the object of our invention to provide a means of tearing off ofthe record strip during each feeding operation of the machine, anindividual form length of said record strip, and of feeding theindividual or separated forms into a suitable storage compartment withinthe casing of the machine.

The form strips in machines of this type usually are perforated orweakened at the end of each form so as to facilitate tearing it off fromthe remainder of the web held in the machine, and in the particulardevice of our present invention we provide means for grasping the recordstrip and tearing off the terminal form thereof, this operation takingplace during the operation of feeding the next set of forms from the oneof whichthe record was taken.

Among the objects of our invention is the provision of a tearing ofimeans which operates as the hand of an operator would act in manuallytearing oif a form of'paper by a gripping of the desired form, andapplying a pulling motion first at one corner and then across the wholeline of cleavage, there being means for holding the web fast during theoperation of tearing off. I

It is our object further to provide for this action by a rotary asdistinguished from a reciprocating member, and to arrange the mechanismso as to operate automatically each time the feed of the machine isgiven a complete movement sufiicient to issue a single set of forms.

We accomplish our objects by that certain construction and arrangementof parts to be hereinafter more specifically pointed out and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the mechanism used accordingto one of our modes of operation for tearing off a record web in formlengths for permanent storage within a manifolder.

Figure 2 is a detail side elevation of the parts shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of another type of tearing off device.

Figure 4: is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 5 is an end elevation of the paper clamp of this modification.

Our invention has been shown as applied to the autographic registergenerally shown and described in United States Letters Patent to Shermanand Metzner No. 1,541,285 granted June 9, 1925. We have illustrated onlythe side frames 1 and 2, the feed shaft 3, and feed pin wheels and cams4 and 5 respectively, and have confined our invention and the drawingsto those parts used for tearing off the paper web. The writing table 5of the machine extends beyond the feed point above the feed pin wheels,and from its end the record web 6 is delivered to the tearing oif deviceand storage feed.

A lower driven roll 7, cooperating with a spring pressed idler roll 8receives the record web from the end of the writing table, and a lowerdriven roll 9, cooperatlng with. an upper spring pressed idler roll 10,applies a tearing and feeding pull on the end of the record web. Theupper rolls of these two devices are controlled in their position sothat when the first two rolls are gripping .and feeding the record webin a direction toward the second set of rolls, the spring pressed uppermember of this second set comes down first at one end then clear acrossthe larger lower roll, the speed of the periphery of the lower rollbeing such .as to pull the paper faster than it is fed along by thefirst set of rolls. This action tears the paper along the line ofperforations or whatever mode is used to form a tearing off line ofcleavage at the head of each form. The timing is such that this tearingofi' action starts to take place just as the weakened line of cleavagein the record web passes through the grip of the first set of rolls.

There is a gear 11 on the feed shaft meshing with a train of idler gears12 and 13, which mesh with the gear 14 on the feed roll 9, and a secondidler gear 15 connects the gear 14 with the gear 15 on the end of thefeed roll 7.

The upper rolls 8 and 10 have their spindles set into slots 16 in theside frames of the machine so that the rolls may move up and down. Thereare two spring plunger boxes 17, one at each side of the machine, inwhich boxes are arranged two vertically moving plungers 18, each plungerhaving a spring 19. The plungers at their lower ends have grooved shoes20 to seat over the spindles of the said upper rolls. B this means thetwo upper rolls are kept by t e spring against the lower or driven rollsof the device.

There are two cross shafts 21 and 22 below the feed devices. Pinned tothe shaft 21 is a plate 23 which forms a cam arm 23, and an operatingarm 24. On the other end of the shaft 21 and pinned to it is a plate 25forming merely a cam arm, the operation from one side being sufficientto operate both cam arms.

The operating arm 24 extends rearwardly to a point where it lies incontact with a cam 32 on the feed shaft of the machine.

On the other of the two cross shafts, viz: the shaft 22, there is aplate 26 having a cam arm 27, and an operating arm 28. This cross shaftat the other side of the machine has fast thereon an arm 29corresponding to the cam arm 27 without the operating arm.

The operating arm 28 is given a brief movement by means of a roller 30on the face of the cam 32 on the feed shaft of the machine. The arm 24has a stud 31 that follows the cam 32 on the feed shaft 3.

The two cam arms 23 and 25 are arranged to engage the spindle ends ofthe top roller 10, and the engaging faces of the two arms are not quitethe same, the arm 25 as indicated by dotted line in Figure 2 having aslight lag behind the arm 23, at the raised portion of the cam edgesthereof. As a result, during the period when the cam 32 on the feedshaft of the machine depresses the operating arm 24, the spindle of theroller 10 will be pressed up away from engagement with the roll 9. Whenthe operatlng arm drops off the edge 32 of the cam 32 this will permitthe two cam arms 23 and 25 to rock into a posi tion permitting thespindle of the roll 10 to fall under its spring pressure into engagementwith the large roll 9, with the far end of the roll 10 from the observerin the tv\ 9 1 and 2, engaging the is such that when the point of theoperating arm thereof is depressed by the roller on the feed shaft cam,this will rock the cam arms sufliciently to slightly raise the two endsof the upper roll 8, thus freeing the record web from the feed for amomentary interval. The need for this relaxation of grip of the feedrolls 7 and 8, is in order to permit the record web to feed freely overthe pin wheels and align itself with the other Webs being fed. It wouldonly be necessary in a pin wheel feed or other aligning feed manifolder,that the relaxation be over before the rolls 9 and 10 grip and feed thepaper.

From the preliminary description of operation it will be evident thatsince the roll 9 is largerthan the roll 7, with the driving gear ratiothe same, the feed between rolls 9 and 10 will be faster than thatbetween rolls 7 and 8, and thus the paper will be torn off between thetwo rolls when the line of clevage emerges from the first set of rolls 7and 8.- The cam on the feed shaft is timed to apply the gripping actionof roll 10 when the line of clevage of the record strip for each formhas passed through the rolls 7 and 8, and the suddenness of the griptogether with the fact that it applies first at one end and traverses tothe other issuificient to tear off the individual form being heldbetween the two rolls neatly and uniformly.

The distance between the two sets of rolls is made short enough that noguides are necessary to make the free edge of the advancing form betweenrolls 7 and 8, feed onto rolls 9 and 10, although a guide or guidescould be provided.

The modification operates in a similar manner except that the grip ofthe paper as it comes away from the writing table end is provided by aclamp, which grips the paper.

In the mechanism shown in Figures 3 to 5, there is a guide 29 formed ofsheet metal and affixed between the side frames of the machine in such away as to guide the record web 6 as it is fed from the pin wheels aroundin a loop where it enters the clamp, and from the clamp to the feedrolls 31? and 30 whence it passes into a suitable storage compartment(not shown).

The clamp is formed of a pair of plates 32 and 33', each having arearwardly extending arm 34 and 35 respectively. The arm 35 is pivotedto a shaft 36 extending across the machine to which is pivoted also thearm 34.

The arm 34, however, extends rearwardly to a point when it lies in thepath of a stud or roller 37 on the face of a gear 38 on the feed shaftof the machine.

The two plates have mounted upon them the clamp bar, which has a crossbar'portion Inn 39, and two depending legs 40. The legs 40 are slottedand held to the plates 32 and 33 by means of studs 41 on the plates. Theplates 32* and 33* are bent under at their lower ends and pierced withholes to receive posts 42 mounted onthe clamp bar so that they will beguided in said holes. Springs 43 around the posts press the clamp barupwardly, although their normal extension will not press the clamp barinto engagement when the plates 32 and 33 are in their downwardposition. I

When the roller on the feed shaft gear strikes .down the end of the arm34 this results in the plates 32 and 33 being thrust upwardly, whichpresses the clamp bar against the paper, permitting the plates 32 and 33to rise after the clamp bar has come into compression.

The gear on the feed shaft meshes with an idler 44, which drives alarger gear 45, which is loose on the shaft 36. On the arm 34 of theclamp is mounted a pinion 46 which meshes with the gear 45 in allpositions of the clamp bar due to its planetary arrangement.

The feedroll 30 is mounted in the two clamp bars, and has the pinion 46on its one end to be driven as just noted, by means of the revolution ofthe feed shaft of the machine.

The pressure roll or idler roll of the feed device for the record web isshown at 31, and is mounted in a slightly loose hole at the side framenearest the pinion end of the lower feed roll, and has its spindle 50set in a short slot 49 in the other side frame.

A plate 51 having a hole for engaging over the upper roll spindle issuspended from the spindle at the slotted bearing end, and this plate ispulled down by means of a spring 52, fastened to the plate and the sideframe.

As a result of this structure, the upper roll is held at a slight cantaway from the observer in Figures 3 and 4, so that as the lower ordriven feed, roll is raised by the operation of the clamp arms, the rollengagement will take place and the paper will be gripped first at theone end of the two rolls and then entirely across the rolls as the clampis pressed home.

Thus, the action in the second modification is the same as in the first,except that themechanism employed is arranged in a different manner.

There will be other .ways of accomplish,

comprising a member to engage 'and hold the paper,- a pair of rollslocatedbeyond said member, and a drive for one'of said rolls, said pairof rollsbeing arranged to exert a pull on the paper in its line ofmovementand against said first mentioned member, thereby disrupt-'member to engage the paper,,and a member located beyond the engagingmeans and a drive for the latter member, said latter member beingarranged to exert a pull onthe paper, in its line of movement, therebydisrupting the same, said latter member comprising a pair of rollsthrough which the paper passes, and mechanlsmarranged to bring saidrolls .together over the paper at timed intervals, with one end of therolls contacting before the remainder, so as to imitate the motion of ahand in disrupting thepaper.

3. In a web severing device for a manifolding machine the combinationwith a paper feed for a plurality of webs, a gripping member and apulling member both located to ena web after it has passed the feed, anddriving connections from the paper feed arranged to apply'said membersto the paper in timed'relation to the feed so that a preformed line ofcleavage in the paper web will be between said members when both areapplied thereto, and the latter of said members comprising rolls andmeans to space them and bring them together arranged to bring them incontact at one end before contacting entirely across.

4. In a web severing device for a manifolding machine the combinationwith a paper feed for a plurality of webs, a gripping member and apulling member both located to engage a Web after it has passed thefeed,

and driving connections from the paper feed arranged to apply saidmembers to the paper in timed relation to the feed so that a preformedline of cleavage in the paper web will be between said members when bothare applied thereto, said members both comprising sets of rolls forfeeding the paper web, the later being driven more rapidly than theformer.

5. In combination with a paper feed, a mechanism for gripping anddisrupting a web of paper at a preformed line of cleavage, comprising apair of rolls, means for driv-' ing one of said rolls from the paperfeed,

. the other of said rolls being movable toward and away from said drivenroll, and means driven fromthe paper feed for moving said movable roll,said last named means arranged to bring one end of said roll intocontact with the other roll before the remainder of said roll is incontact.

6; In combination with apaper feed, a

mechanism for gripping and disrupting a Web of paper at a preformed lineof cleavage, comprising a pair of pull rolls, means for driving one ofsaid rolls from the paper feed, the other of said rolls being anidlerand 10 mounted in slotted bearings, springs'press ing upon saididler roll in its bearings to urge the rolls into contact, and meansoperated from the paper feed for controlling the contact of said rollsunder the influence of said springs.

7. In combination with a paper feed, a mechanism for gripping anddisrupting a web of paper at a preformed line of cleavage, comprising apair of pull rolls, means for driving one of said rolls from the paperfeed, the other of said rolls being an idler and mounted in slottedbearings, springs pressing upon said idler roll in its bearings to urgethe rolls into contact, and means operated from the paper feed forcontrolling the contact of said rolls under the influence of saidsprings, said means being so arranged that the rolls will contact at oneend before contacting clear across.

8. In combination with a paper feed, a mechanism for gripping anddisrupting a Web of paper ata preformed line of cleavage, comprising apair of pull rolls, means for driving one of said rolls from the paperfeed, the other of said rolls being an idler, and mounted in slottedbearings, springs pressing upon .said idler roll in its bearings to urgethe rolls into contact, and means operated from the paper feed forcontrolling the contact of said rolls under the influence of saidsprings, said last named means comprising cams applied to the said idlerroll, with the cams not in synchronism, whereby the contact will beestablished at one end 9. In combination With a paper feed, a mechanismfor gripping and disrupting a Web of paper, comprising a pair of rolls,one of which is movable in its bearings, springs pressing upon saidmovable roll in its bearings, means driven from the paper feed forbringing said rolls into intermittent timed contact, and means fordriving one of said rolls, said first mentioned means arranged to movesaid movable roll in such position that one end thereof will contactfirst with the other roll before said rolls contact clear across.

JOHN Q. SHERMAN. ALBERT W. METZNER.

